Andrew Wiggins, the consensus No. 1 basketball recruit in the country, announced Tuesday morning he will attend Kansas, picking the Jayhawks over three other finalists, Kentucky, Florida State and North Carolina.

The decision concluded one of the most highly anticipated recruitments of the last decade, ending weeks of speculation as Wiggins stayed tight-lipped and quiet throughout the process.

Grant Taylor, a reporter in Huntington, W.Va., where Wiggins attended prep school, was the only media member allowed to cover the ceremony in which Wiggins made his announcement that he will be going to Kansas. According to Taylor, Wiggins mentioned Kansas head coach Bill Self and assistant coach Kurtis Townsend.

Later on Tuesday afternoon, Kansas released a statement that Wiggins had officially signed a Letter of Intent to play at Kansas.

"Obviously, everyone in Jayhawk-land is overwhelmed and excited today," Self said. "This was a pleasant surprise because we never had an idea which way he was leading. Andrew did this the exact way he said he was going to. He played his cards very close to his vest as did his mother and father. I knew we were one of four. The competition was very stiff and we were fortunate that we were able to ink him today.

"He's a tremendous talent and a terrific kid. Probably an even better kid than he is a talent. We think he has a chance to be about as good a prospect as we've ever had."

Wiggins, from Thornhill, Ontario, becomes the crown jewel in a six-man freshman class that is arguably Self's finest recruiting job to date.

A 6-foot-7 small forward, Wiggins has been labeled as one of the top recruits in the last decade, an athletic specimen who is expected to become an All-American candidate at whatever school he was to choose. He also elevates a rebuilding Kansas squad back into the national discussion after the Jayhawks lost their five leading scorers off a Sweet 16 team in 2012-13.

"He brings athleticism, length, scoring ability and he's also an assassin, an alpha dog and we definitely need that when you have a whole bunch of young kids," Self said. "I think he's going to be not just a good player, but have the chance to be a great one. I know the people that support our program are going to be pleasantly surprised when they see him run and play the very first time he gets the opportunity."

Wiggins slots in as a likely starter alongside soon-to-be sophomore power forward Perry Ellis and junior guard Naadir Tharpe. Wayne Selden, a McDonald's All-American combo guard, could also project as a freshman starter, while incoming freshmen guards Conner Frankamp and Brannen Greene and center Joel Embiid are all ranked among the nation's top 40 recruits. Incoming point guard Frank Mason is also ranked in Rivals.com's top 100.

The decision also burnishes Self's credentials as one of the nation's best recruiters. Wiggins is the fourth top-10 player, according to Rivals.com, to be recruited to Kansas by Self. The others: Julian Wright, who was No. 8 in 2005; Xavier Henry (No. 8 in 2009); and Josh Selby (No. 1 in 2010).

"We had an unbelievable class when we signed Brandon (Rush), Mario (Chalmers), Julian and Micah Downs," Self said, that's a big-time class. This one has more upside. Andrew (Wiggins) has a chance to be the first pick in the draft. Joel Embiid goes from being an unranked player to being the top center prospect in the class. He's raw but so gifted physically.

"Wayne Selden is a McDonald's All-American and top-15 guy. Everybody knows about those three, but they are sleeping on are the other three. Conner Frankamp can play for anyone and so can Brannen Greene. Frank Mason is about as underrated of a point guard as there is in the class. It's been a great recruiting class, but we need to have a great recruiting class because we lost so many guys on a team that did pretty well this year."

Wiggins chose Kansas over Florida State, a school that was perceived as the favorite because of family connections. Both of Wiggins' parents, Mitchell and Marita Payne-Wiggins, attended Florida State.

Mitchell is a former NBA guard, while Marita competed as an Olympic sprinter for Canada.

Wiggins, a senior at Huntington Prep (W.Va.), has been on the national radar for nearly four years. But his recruitment began to heat up last October, when Wiggins reclassified from the class of 2014 to the class of 2013. Around the same time, Wiggins added Kansas to his short list of possible schools. And he made his official visit to Kansas during the Jayhawks' Senior Night matchup against Texas Tech in early March.

"It was his first trip there," Rob Fulford, Wiggins' coach at Huntington Prep, told Rivals after the visit. "and Phog (Allen Fieldhouse) is one of those venues that is a bucket list venue and everybody knows that.

"He really enjoyed the atmosphere as far as the interaction he had with the fans and the players. It seems that it was his time with the players that stood out during his visit to Lawrence.